Saturday, November 28, 2009

Today Totally Sucked and I Am Cranky :(

I hate Guangzhou. There, I said it... I just cannot stand it here. I get on the plane in province kicking and screaming. There is nothing China about this place... it is all so fake. The only thing I really enjoy about is is the lovely architecture and the peacefulness. Well, ALL of the buildings are covered in scaffolding and green netting and the place is full of construction noise and they are trying to spruce the place up for the Asian Games next year. No beauty or peacefulness for me. Furthermore, the White Swan is a total zoo and there are like a zillion people here because they are hosting some kind of car show. There are booths and crowded hallways everywhere and you cannot get an elevator to save your life. I heard that the show is over tomorrow... I hope so! I told you I was cranky...

This morning was the dreaded medical exam. We were late getting over there so we were really far back in line (this ended up being a nearly 3 hour mistake!). It was hot, stinky, and miserable. Catherine totally freaked out during her examination... not pleasant. I thought she was all caught up on her vaccinations but I was informed that she needed 4... I went through the roof. Because of some stupid US law (that they are going to fix but not in time for us) the adopted children must be fully vaccinated before their visa's are issued... FULLY. They even have to get a flu shot. No one else in America has mandatory vaccinations... just adopted children. I am NOT okay with this policy... it is heartbreaking that our rights as parents have been stripped by our own government. This is not China's policy, this is ours. Catherine got off easy because she only had 4 shots. The 2 year old we are here with had 7. Yes... SEVEN vaccinations in one day for a 2 year old or she cannot go home to America, unreal! Again, I am cranky! Catherine did pretty well during her shots (I don't know who cried harder... baby or mommy????). She also had a mandatory TB test. This is currently red and huge... GREAT! We know that she does not have TB because she just had a negative test about a month ago. This is false positive but it doesn't matter... we will be headed to get mandatory x-rays in the next few days. Yeah!

The line in front of us at the clinic


Not happy about this at all


Mommy and baby cry together... so sad


She recovered quickly... Mommy still working on it


To make matters even FUNNER, Catherine has started to test our authority big time. On one hand it is great that she is so comfortable with us. On the other hand... UGH! She was one naughty little rascal this afternoon and she knew it too! She was really testing her boundaries and our resolve to stop her from doing things she shouldn't be doing. We had to stand our ground and not let her win which of course enraged her more. I have not encountered enraged 2 year old girl in a couple of years but it is all coming back to me now :) By the end of a long day of fighting (and after a long snuggle nap- that was the bright spot of my day!) she finally started responding to our no's. Is the war over... FAR FROM IT! Did we win a small battle... YOU BETCHA!

I HAD to post this... kinda sums up our day!


I could not end today's depressing post without mentioning that after her nap Catherine was pure joy. We had the best dinner that we have had with her (ate like a champion!) and then she put some serious miles on her pink sparkly tennies. She was all over the place and exploring everything. For the first time ever she actually fought us when we tried to pick her up... she wanted walk by herself. There was music playing outside by the river and she was dancing up a storm (forgot the video camera... will bring it next time). She met some other kids and followed them around for a while. She had an absolute ball and it was so funny watching her be a "big kid"! It was a perfect end to an otherwise awful day. I don't have any pictures though... we were too busy playing to stop and snap!

(more pictures on our photo album)

7 comments:

  1. I hope some good sleep helps you all soon! I know how sleep deprived you must be now. I also understand the testing of limits. Our son threw tantrums if we put him down. He had to be carried everywhere. You are on the home stretch! You'll be home before you know it. I do agree, Guangzhou is nothing like the authenticity of Nanjing. But if you take a walk up to the mall, you'll go down some local alleys, and that feels like authentic China!

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  2. Oh how I empathsize with this post! We hated the construction too, they have NO concern for the patrons during this project, it is amazing how you just get thrown in the street with the traffic. And the noise! Not what I was looking forward to, and we were COLD to boot! We did enjoy all the outings off the island, including the short walk to the pestestrian market over the crosswalk.

    And the authority testing....no, it is not fun! Glad you won the battle though, how can such a little person take so much out of a couple of grownups??? We have had so little of this with our 9 year old, and it is not loud or physical (more resistant pouting) and it is still NOT fun.

    Yep, our TB test was "postive" too, three xrays for us and lots of sweat. And 4 shots, great, just what you want when establishing trust, and WHAT A ZOO you had at the exam office. AWFUL! At least we didn't have a crowd. We also had a big event at the WS...maybe the constuction elsewhere is filling up the WS, but lots of businessmen smoking at the buffet each morning....

    The Playroom is a life saver, literally. Catherine will love it...

    WIshing you a better day, and I totally love "the finger"....yep, it sums it up.

    good luck with the xrays, at least that part was new technology and done right there in the exam offices.

    feeling for ya,
    sue

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  3. Ewwww---all that construction! I would not be happy either----I'm with Catherine (love the picture and her expression)...But I'm looking forward to some sparkling shoes dancing in a video! Glad she had fun.

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  4. I am so sorry that your experience in Guangzhou has not been pleasant. We were there last November and loved it. But thanks for the heads up because we are coming again in January 2010 and will probally have to deal with the construction also. We loved the White Swan, so maybe it will get better for you.
    Robin
    www.givingthanksforeverydaylife.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Uggg I'm sorry today was cranky! I hope tomorrow is a bit better and you guys can enjoy the last few days of your journey.

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  6. Sorry you had a rough day. I know how you feel about Guangzhou but remember the massage???? Maybe that will perk you up :-)....when little busy is down for her nap, go and enjoy, that might be just what you need.

    I hate Catherine had to get shots...poor baby....poor mama.

    Enjoying your journey!

    Love ya,
    Kim

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  7. I am so sorry you had a rough day, but I laughed so hard at the last picture of Catherine. It made my day, so funny!!

    ReplyDelete

 

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